Oxford’s first pop-up restaurant

A student is pioneering what is believed to be Oxford’s first pop-up restaurant. Lara Tyrrell, an MPhil student at Merton, launched the idea in an attempt to make as much money as possible from a starting budget of £1.

A pop-up restaurant is one that appears to have been set up out of nowhere, and disappears as quickly as it arrives. Often established in people’s homes, Tyrrell has located hers in Merton MCR, holding two events, one last Sunday, and a grand closing, to be held on Saturday.

Another reason for setting up the restaurant was to promote the value of using local produce. “The main point of this is to show to students that there are better food options in Oxford [than the supermarkets].

“Even if you bought the exact same list of items in the Covered Market as at Sainsbury’s, your carbon footprint would decrease dramatically.”

As with many such restaurants, guests pay an amount they deem appropriate. Last Sunday, Tyrrell raised £155.